‘TIL DEMENTIA, DEATH OR DIVORCE DO WE PART THE INTERSECTION OF FAMILY LAW, ESTATE ADMINISTRATION AND ELDER LAW

Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Media's Towne House
Speaker: Colleen Neary, Esq. of Sweeny & Neary and Chari Alson, Esq. of Anderson Elder Law

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MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: FIDUCIARY TRUST INTERNATIONAL 

 

Til Dementia, Death or Divorce, Do We Part:  The Intersection of Family Law, Estate Administration, and Elder Law
Clients’ lives rarely fit neatly into one area of the law. Divorce, incapacity, long-term care needs, and death often collide—sometimes suddenly—forcing professionals to navigate overlapping and occasionally conflicting legal frameworks. This program explores how family law, estate administration, guardianship, and elder law intersect when a marriage is disrupted by terminal illness, dementia, or complex blended-family dynamics.  Using realistic case studies, the presenters will examine how timing, diagnosis and prognosis, legal capacity, wealth, and family dynamics can dramatically alter outcomes under the Divorce Code, Probate Estates and Fiduciaries Code, and Medicaid rules. Attendees will gain practical insight into how to identify risks, avoid unintended consequences, and why coordinated, interdisciplinary planning is essential.

Colleen M. Neary is a founding member of Sweeney & Neary, LLP, a practice limited to family and matrimonial law.
She attended the University of Scranton and Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and has served on many state and county associations- Past President of the Delaware County Bar Association;  Former member of Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section Council,  Active member of both the Delaware County Bar Association and Pennsylvania Bar Association,  Past-President of the PBA Conference of County Bar Leaders and previously served as a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates. She has also served on Council for the PBA Family Law.   Colleen has also received numerous awards and recognition from her peers for her work in family law, including the DCBA Family Law Section Eric D. Turner Award, the E. Wallace Chadwick Award, the Delaware County Lawyers Club Man of the Year Award, the Elizabeth C. Price Award, the Hon. Frank T. Hazel Hall of Fame Award as well as the Nicholas D. Vadino, Jr. Memorial Award, and has been elected to the position of Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a national organization whose membership is limited to those who are considered by their peers and members of the bench to be experts in the field of family law, currently the only Delaware County attorney among the  statewide members.  Shr is also a frequent lecturer in the area of family law and has taught continuing legal education courses for the DCBA, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Neumann College and Villanova University.

Chari M. Alson is a partner with the law firm of Anderson Elder Law with offices in Media and West Chester.  Chari is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation and has been practicing in the areas of trust and estate administration, estate planning, and elder law since 2003. Chari received her Juris Doctor degree from Temple University, her Masters in Public Health and a Gerontology Certificate from Boston University School of Public Health, and her Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University – New Brunswick. Chari is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and is the editor-in-chief of NAELA News, is a board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA) and serves on its Public Policy Committee, is Chair-Elect (2025-2026) of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Elder Law Section Council, and is a co-Chair of the Delaware County Elder Law Committee.
 

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